Page 17 of No Remedy for Love

He grabbed her hand and held it as he drove back to the same mall that he and Remi were in the week before. He andKiva walked around hand in hand until they entered Saks. That was one of her favorite stores and she was just like a kid when she was in there.

“These are the ones that I wanted before but these bitches are bad as fuck.” Ironically, Kiva picked up the same shoes that he’d purchased for Remi in the exact same color. Even more ironic was the same salesman who helped Remi came over to assist her with the purchase.

“Can I help you with anything?” he asked when he walked over to them.

“Yes, I want to try these on please.” Kiva held up the shoe for him to see.

“Okay, size seven right?” he asked with a stupid looking smirk on his face.

“Maybe when I was in my teens. I need a nine please,” Kiva chuckled, thinking that he was joking, but Mav was pissed. He sold Remi a size seven and he was trying to be funny.

“Sorry, I’ll be right back with your shoe.”

He walked away, and Mav discreetly followed him. Kiva was busy looking around so she didn’t even pay attention to what he was doing. Mav stood close to the employee-only area that the salesman had disappeared to. When he returned, he had the shoes that Kiva requested in the correct size. Mav gently stopped him by placing his hand on his shoulder.

“Being funny is the quickest way for you to lose your job my nigga,” Mav threatened through clenched teeth.

“And threatening my job is the quickest way for my memory to come back. Just the shoes right?” He smirked whilerepeating what Mav had told Remi the week before. Admittedly, he felt played by how Mav handled him before. He thought about it for days and he was kicking himself for not standing up for himself. He wasn’t a punk and he wasn’t about to get treated like one again. He was the manager of the department so he had access to more info than Mav thought.

Mav’s jaw clenched in anger as he followed the salesman back over to Kiva. She must not have been his type because he kept it strictly professional, unlike when he assisted Remi. Mav was heated and ready to go once Kiva decided to get the shoes. His mood had soured and he was done shopping. As a matter of fact, he was ready to drop Kiva off home and go lay up under Remi.

“Inhale and exhale slowly but don’t try to overdo it. If you feel like it’s too hard, just stop.” Remi held a small device up to her patient’s mouth and watched the small red ball to see what number it would stop on.

Her patient tried her best but she was having a hard time catching her breath. Her chest was rising and falling at a rapid pace so she decided to give her a break.

“Breathe in and out mama. It’s not that hard.” Jean looked at her mother with a sideways glance. She was being overly dramatic and her nurse was eating it up.

“It’s very hard to a patient with COPD. We take for granted that we can breathe unassisted but everybody doesn’t have that luxury.”

It was Remi’s second time meeting her patient’s daughter and granddaughter, and she wanted to body slam both their asses. They were the two most insensitive bitches in the world and her patience was wearing thin. Ms. Bertha was a sweet old lady and she liked having her for a patient. She reminded her a lot of her father with the old stories that she always told. Sadly, she would be dead before the year was out if she had to depend on those two dumb asses to take care of her. She gave the older woman her oxygen tube and waited until her breathing was somewhat back to normal.

“I don’t understand how she can barely breathe but be at the casino every other day. Don’t they be smoking and stuff in there?” Blaire folded her arms defiantly as she looked at her grandmother.

“She can go anywhere she wants as long as she has her oxygen tank. The casino is no exception but they aren’t allowed to smoke in there anymore.” Remi was reaching her breaking point and she didn’t know how much longer she would be able to hold her tongue. They made it hard for her to remain professional.

“I’m trying to see where the money is coming from for all of this. Is her insurance paying for you to be here?” Jean looked over at Remi when she asked the question.

“Does it matter? I’d work for free if it meant getting her well. I’m here and that’s all that matters.”

“Girl, let me get out of here before I be going to jail.” Jean grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

“Yeah, cause I don’t do too well with disrespect.” Blaire looked at Remi, letting her know that the comment she’d just made was for her.

“That makes two of us love.” Remi stared right back and matched her energy.

“Don’t worry about them. I don’t even know why they come over here. It ain’t like they give a damn.” Ms. Bertha shook her head sadly.

She prided herself on being a great mother, even when her husband died suddenly, leaving her to raise eight teenaged kids alone. She used the money from his insurance policy to ensure that her kids lived a decent life and she thought she’d succeeded. Seeing as how they treated her like a burden more than a blessing, she wasn’t so sure. Everybody was always throwing Blaze up in her face, but she didn’t care. Blaze wasn’t her oldest or youngest grandson, but their bond had always been different. He was always more of her child than anything, and she treated him as such. Blaze always did cling to her so it was no surprise that he asked to live with her. He was an honor student and he never gave her any problems. He longed for the love of a mother, and she provided that for him. Her daughter was always more into herself and her men than her kids.

Now, all of her kids and grandkids felt as if everything that had to do with her was Blaze’s responsibility. Since she did so much for him, they felt like he should do it all for her in return. And, thankfully, he did. Blaze cut her grass, cooked her meals and sorted her medicine for the week. He hated to do it, but there were times that he had to give her a bath too.

“Have you ever thought about moving into an assisted living facility?”

“No, I haven’t. My baby would have a fit if I even mentioned it. Why? Is my condition really that bad?”

“I mean, you’re already in stage two but I have to be honest with you. Over time, the symptoms can start to progress depending on a few factors including environmental exposure. This is a lot of house for just you. Those stairs are definitely gonna become an issue eventually.”

“Hell, they already are.”

---